Conference Report
The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Eye Health Conference 2021: The Gap and Beyond – Report
Indigenous Eye Health (IEH) at the University of Melbourne and the Aboriginal Health Council of South Australia (AHCSA) co-hosted the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Eye Health Conference 2021: The Gap and Beyond, as a fully online conference, on 20-22April 2021.
The Conference welcomed 237 registered delegates, and over 60 speakers and presenters, working across all parts of the eye care pathway, and attending from all states and territories.
The 2021 Conference is the fifth annual national conference of the sector. The 2021 Conference included elements originally scheduled for the COVID-19 pandemic impacted and postponed 2020 Close the Gap for Vision by 2020 National Conference.
Thanks to the generosity of speakers, recordings of keynote and plenary presentations from the Conference are available via the link below. The recordings also include two presentations that were scheduled but not accessible because of technical difficulties.
The 2021 Conference was actively supported by a Program Advisory Group, consisting of representatives of the two co-host organisations, IEH and AHCSA, together with Optometry Australia, the Royal Australia and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists, Vision 2020 Australia, The Fred Hollows Foundation and the Brien Holden Foundation.
IEH would like to thank co-host AHCSA and Program Advisory Group members, the wonderful Conference speakers and presenters for sharing their stories, and all Conference delegates who participated, contributed, listened, and connected through the event.
A special congratulations to the winners of the 2020 Leaky Pipe Awards and the 2021 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Eye Health Awards, which were presented during the Conference (additional details in link below & tab to left).
Feedback from Conference delegates was very positive, and pointed to the annual Conference as a cherished gathering spot for sharing information and mutual learning across the sector. IEH has committed to support the 2022 National Conference, and more details will be released in the second half of the year.